CrossCode

This game looks good but is actually complete ass. Don't be fooled, i've wasted 40 hours into this game and it has well overstayed its welcome. Where do we start, lets do the combat. Its fun until the enemies have built in ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ to avoid you. Your level is BS. If you are underleveled, you die, if you are over, too bad. The boss has mechanics and you WILL use them. There is no brute forcing sections. And by the time you get to level 60 every other non boss enemy is a pushover, sorry spoilers. And, the fact all XP is worthless once you are like 2 levels over the enemy you are fighting is a slap in the face. Story, Ass. Ghost in the Machine, how original. I am spamming through dialogue because it is so boring. Literally the only semi cool part of this game is the fighting, I don't care about the same old self discovery power of friendship story. PVP battles. Remove them. I don't care the game is old, get rid of them. When the enemy attacks you, they are glued to you and you cant dodge or block, when you swing or aim at them they have unlimited dodges and float away from you. Also locking an achievement behind these is retarded, you are basically trying to force a second playthrough, no one is going to look at the achievements beforehand for spoilers, The dungeon race trophy too. You cant have one trophy that comes up 10 hours in and says "don't worry, there is no speedrun" and then have an achievement based on time limits in the dungeon the game doesn't tell you. All of the puzzles are overly complicated. The level design is SO complex like i can tell time and effort went into it but i'm sick of every 15 minute solution ending with another damn MOLDY BISCUIT that heals 2% of my max health. Plus the Boosters? LAZY. you didn't want to make more real areas to get the player from level 50 to 100 so you did a sneaky whole game reuse of assets. This game is a slog You have to research beforehand if you want 100% on your first playthrough. Combat is unfair one way to artificially increase difficulty. The game is so concerned abut you gaining an advantage in any way it becomes unbearable. Story is unoriginal and too much a part of the game. I am going to finish the story, thats it. No DLC, no 100%. I am growing to hate this experience with each passing hour i play. Hopefully this last dungeon doesnt have 20000 floors to finish before some dumb boss fight.

All parts of this game are awesome and there is just so much to do, this game is certainly worth playing. The combat and buildcraft are fun, fluid and rewarding. The story is unique and the characters are so much fun. And the puzzles, the puzzles. The many unique mechanics that are introduced in each dungeon slowly build upon each other and really test your understanding of all the ways they can interact. Add to that all the exploration/jumping puzzles that make traveling through this world so enjoyable and you have yourself an amazing puzzling experience. Also, whoever placed like 20 mushrooms and corals next to each other and gave them satisfying sound when you break them needs a raise.

I've really enjoyed the characters, the world, the music, the UI, and to some degree the combat as well. There are just so many puzzles, some which require backtracking/wandering through entire dungeons to find the one chest in the one room behind the one side path past the one puzzle you accidentally missed. When I feel like I've had my fill of puzzle solving in a dungeon and am ready for the pacing to change things up, there's nothing but more puzzles, many of which feel more like busywork. If the game had fewer, more interesting/difficult puzzles, instead of so many repetitive shuffle-boxes/slide on ice/shoot a pillar while you wait for a platform to rotate on a cycle puzzles, and/or instead integrated combat, I think this would be an absolute blast. Its style, presentation, and queer vibes are enough for me to recommend it, though I'm not sure I'll finish myself.

Too much platforming puzzle for me.

[h1]Crosscode[/h1] This game is impressive in a lot of respects. It very much fits the image of a game you'd find on the SNES only with a content amount near 4~5x that. I'm over 80 hours including the DLC, and if you really wanted to do [b]everything[/b] I could see going even much longer than that. The story is surprisingly competent for what it is, with charming dialogue that is a bit goofy, sure, but fits the motif. The world taking place inside of an MMO, you can expect the same kind dialogue you might get, and I will be frank... as someone who has a soft spot for MMOs despite them becoming a bit of a shell of their former self, this game captures the sort of old school 2000~2008 era of MMOs pretty well. Despite it being a single player game, I felt more like I was playing an MMO than most modern MMOs, which is... kind of depressing. Gameplay wise, I would term this a puzzle game first, and an action game second, even much of the combat intermingles puzzle elements. As far as puzzles go... they're very good. Some are a dexterity challenge, doing puzzles in sequences and sort of reverse engineering what to do, others are a bit more complex, and many outside the dungeons are a head scratcher of platform puzzles of: how do I even get to that chest? This all works quite well, though I will say the game can be quite punishing for missing a jump or anything else, as you may have to run through multiple zones just to attempt it again. Combat is quick, responsive -- a bit hectic and does have a few really annoying designs on some enemies, but overall is quite impressive and complex considering the other elements of this game being so robust as well. If this game had come out in an earlier era, I would have seen it touted amongst greats like Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid and the like. It's certainly earned the proper title of hidden gem, even if it does have a following, you still never hear of the game compared to others. If you like puzzles, highly recommend. Just be prepared for the longest 2D action puzzler you've ever played.

There are so many things I love about this game: 1. The combat of this game is so peak, every battle feels engaging with all the abilities at your fingertips. 2. The story for the whole way through so far has had me on the edge of my seat. The lore is fun to get into as well, where I'm spending a lot of time reading the data entries to learn about the world(s) 3. The characters feel really human and endearing, and the writing is really fun. Your party's banter in the overworld and during battles always makes me crack a smile. 4. The landmarks and scenery are always so intricate and beautiful too. The pixel art is just so well done, it makes areas seem so lively and vibrant. 5. The music is killer. I never feel like I get tired of any track because of how well they've been composed for the purpose they serve. There is so much heart and soul oozing from this game and I've been absolutely digging it. However... My one gripe is the dungeons. I think a lot of other people agree with that sentiment. Some of them overstay their welcome. The challenge in the puzzles is not the problem, it's the slog to get through a lot of them in a row for only 1-2 fights in between. Maybe I'm just impatient lol, but if they were shorter and better paced I think it'd be perfect. That's one minor nitpick out of the several encompassing highlights, though. Despite that, I do recommend this game wholeheartedly to players looking for a sweet retro style action rpg, or are just looking for a fun new game to try!

I tried it because i like alabaster dawn. but the dungeons are really annoying and i don't like the controls (dodge with left bumper, wtf?).